isle-hawg

I think AA made good strides to try and get some order in the boarding process to going with group numbers vice all the other call-outs before group 1.

Some enforcement, of this process would also be welcome to me. I flew a short haul domestic flight last week that had 12 independent CK members (not any two people traveling together) on it. They all used their cell phones to check in. I was amazed that there were so many CK on this flight.

I was even more amazed that when I got to my upgraded seat in First Class as a Gold (that I received electronically while at the gate), that I was the first person to sit in FC while all the CK members were sitting in the back of the plane

Even more amazed on this flight that 2 of the FC seats were unoccupied while all the CK's were in the back of the plane.

AA encourages the use of the app for check in so they can save a fraction of a penny on printing out a boarding pass, but how are GA to enforce this if they even wanted to without AA fixing their software to only allow boarding for the group being called? As a long time AA traveler it does seem it has always been "mostly" on the honor system when it comes to boarding order.

This is a "first world" problem for sure, but I am not looking to cut the line in front of me, I prefer no one does the same to me. But the current system of folks using their cell phone to check in, not only slows down the boarding process but encourages bad behavior and prevents the GA from being able to enforce the order without slowing it down even more.

JonNYC

I'm not even sure it rises to that level, it's a bit decipherable.

CloudCoder

The boarding process rewards passengers who break the rules, while punishing those who follow the rules. Even if a system worked perfectly on Day 1, the policy of rewarding non-compliance and punishing compliance would gradually result in mass chaos.

bse118

I don't follow.

The mobile boarding passes have the same info on them / encoded as the paper boarding passes do. So what does the type of BP have to do with enforcement of the boarding groups?

asf-07

When you use a paper boarding pass, you hand it over to the agent to scan. An agent can easily glance and see your boarding group - at that time, they at least have the option to send you back and wait for your group.

When you use a mobile boarding pass, the agents never really look at them - you scan it yourself at the gate. All that happens on the screen is your assigned seat turns from yellow to green. There is no indication of your boarding group. I've never had an agent look at my mobile boarding pass to confirm that I'm boarding with the correct group.

ryan182

I'm guessing its because the GAs dont see the mobile BP as they direct the pax to scan thee, I assume they dont want to have a situation where they drop/break a phone, since you scan it face down .

MSP_Monopoly

Why were the CK passengers in the back?

fedechat

Even if they see your Group when they scan your phhone, I don't think they will send you back because the system already scanned your BP and could get a re-beep when you try the second time.

rjw242

I was wondering how the OP had such precise info on the CK passengers to begin with.

RichVan

They weren't. That's the point. None of them were actually CK's - they just boarded with their mobile passes when the GA called for CK's to board.

isle-hawg

Ummm - because I witnessed 12 people board when they called for CK members to board.....

Why were they in the back - with empty seats in FC during the flight? Perhaps they were not CK????

rjw242

So how many of them in your .... opinion were CK?

isle-hawg

Yes, they confirm all that, but the GA does not see that since you place your phone over the scanner , vice hand it to them.

This is why a commuter plane - half full can have 12 "CK members" sitting in the back of the plane - while a Gold member is sitting in FC next to empty seats.

isle-hawg

I am going to go out on a VERY thin limb here and take a wild *** guess and say ZERO

But according to the folks I WITNESSED boarding at the call for CK it was 12. I do not claim to be a brain surgeon (or even smart). But believe it or not as dumb as I am I can count to twelve (12) though.

And in this context I can state in my my "expert opinion" as someone able to count to twelve witnessing the 12 that I counted using their cells for their boarding pass that that is how many boarded when the GA called for CK members to board the plane.

My intention in starting this thread, is not who has what status, how many CK's on my last flight (spoiler alert NONE) but the boarding process, and the current use of phones prohibits any type of enforcement and it rewards bad behavior for those that are willing to cut in line..

The boarding process for THIS flight had no negative affect on me, but did illustrate more than most the problem for those of us trying to stow our bags in the overhead bins on full flights when many folks disregard the boarding process, and those of us following the rules at times ending up on the short end.

MADPhil

Perhaps they were all corporate travel managers who got CK through volume of business but force themselves to travel as they make others do